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Re: Another London attack?

It's too early to tell. What first reponders have to be mindful of if this maybe a diversionary tactic and the real target maybe somewhere else while they have the emergency responders tied up. Not likely, but you to be on the look out.

LONDON (Reuters) - Militant Islamists will continue to attack Britain until the government pulls its troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, one of the country's most outspoken Islamic clerics said on Friday.

Speaking 15 days after bombers killed over 50 people in London and a day after a series of failed attacks on the city's transport network, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed said the British capital should expect more violence.

"What happened yesterday confirmed that as long as the cause and the root problem is still there ... we will see the same effect we saw on July 7," Bakri said.

"If the cause is still there the effect will happen again and again," he said, adding he had no information about future attacks or contacts with people planning to carry out attacks.

Bakri, a Syrian-born cleric who has been vilified in Britain since 2001 when he praised the September 11 hijackers, said he did not believe the bombings and attempted attacks on London were carried out by British Muslims.

He condemned the killing of all innocent civilians but described attacks on British and U.S. troops in Muslim countries as "pro-life" and justified.

In an interview with Reuters, Bakri described Osama bin Laden, leader of the radical Islamist network al Qaeda, as "a sincere man who fights against evil forces."

Bakri said he would like Britain to become an Islamic state but feared he would be deported before his dream was realized.

"I would like to see the Islamic flag fly, not only over number 10 Downing Street, but over the whole world," he said.

MESSAGE OF PEACE ... MESSAGE OF WAR

A hate figure for the British tabloid press, the bearded and bespectacled Bakri said Islam contained "a message of peace for those who want to live with the Muslims in peace."

"But Islam is a message of war for those who declare war against Muslims," he said.

"I condemn any killing and any bombing against any innocent people in Britain or abroad, but I expect the British people to condemn the killing of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan."

However, asked about Islamist attacks on British and U.S. troops and on Israelis, he said: "If violence is pro-life I don't condemn it."

Britain has around 1,100 troops in Afghanistan and 8,500 in Iraq. Prime Minister Tony Blair supported the United States in its respective invasions of both countries in 2001 and 2003.

Bakri, a 46-year-old father of six, was born in Syria and lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. When the Saudi government expelled him in 1985 he came to London.

Nicknamed "The Tottenham Ayatollah" after the area of north London in which he lives, he has infuriated many Britons with his firebrand speeches and refusal to condemn suicide bombings.

He founded the British branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which describes itself as a non-violent political party dedicated to creating an Islamic caliphate centered on the Middle East.

But he split from the group in 1996 and set up al Muhajiroun, which won notoriety in 2001 for celebrating the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Bakri has Syrian and Lebanese citizenship and says he thinks the British government might deport him to one of those two countries in the wake of this month's bombings.

"But I think that would be political suicide for the British government if they started to deport and imprison all extremists and radicals," he said.

"Because if, God forbid, something happened again, they would have nobody left to blame."

My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!

By Jimmy Burns and Cathy Newman in London
Published: July 24 2005 20:35 | Last updated: July 24 2005 20:35

Police chiefs investigating the London bomb blasts were under growing pressure on Sunday over the shooting dead of an innocent man as they faced a backlash from the Muslim community and some politicians.

The controversy surrounding the shooting on Friday of Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician living in London, is a serious setback for the capital's police, who are trying to build trust with British Muslims to gain vital intelligence on extremist elements. Last night police made a third arrest in connection with the July 21 attempted suicide bombings.

On Sunday, ministers and senior police officers defended a policy of shooting dead individuals suspected of being suicide bombers, in spite of calls from British Muslim groups, human rights bodies and politicians for a public inquiry.

Since the shooting, police have confirmed that two years ago they secretly changed operational guidelines allowing officers chasing suspect suicide bombers to shoot them in the head.

Jack Straw, British foreign secretary, said he regretted Mr de Menezes' death but it was important to appreciate “the very intense pressure under which police officers have to work”.

Sir Ian Blair, the chief of London's Metropolitan Police, apologised to the family of the Brazilian man, but left open the possibility that more people could be shot as part of the war on terrorism.

But relatives of Mr Menezes - who was innocent of any links with the London bomb attacks - have threatened to sue British police for compensation.

The Brazilian government said it was “shocked and perplexed” and was awaiting clarifications from British authorities. Celso Amorim, Brazil's foreign minister, in London on Sunday for a meeting to discuss United Nations reforms, said he had received apologies and guarantees of a full investigation from the British government.

Calls for a public inquiry were backed by the Islamic Human Rights Commission. Massoud Shadareh, a spokesman, said: “Britain is a democracy. We cannot allow police to kill people simply on the basis of suspicion and without anyone debating the policy that belongs to a police state.” Sir Ian said yesterday the investigation was proceeding at “an extraordinary pace”, as police hunted four suspect suicide bombers and those involved in helping them “financially and operationally”.

Police are certain the four terrorists behind the bomb attacks on the London public transport system of July 7, which killed 56 people and injured over 700 others, died in the explosions.

But they believe at least four people behind the failed attacks last Thursday are still in the UK, and evidence is emerging of links to those who killed themselves.

They have raided several homes in London, and made three arrests, while continuing to liaise with investigators overseas. Police fear the bombers, who are still at large, may try to confront them in bloody engagement or attempt to carry out fresh attacks.

The developments in London came in a weekend marred by terrorist violence in differenct parts of the world. In Egypt, at least 88 people were killed and hundreds were injured in terror bombings in two Red Sea resorts on Saturday. In Iraq, up to 40 people were reported dead on Sunday after a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with expolosives into a police station in the Iraqi capital.

My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!

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